Crash Test Dummy

In the movie The Rock, Nicholas Cage's character says, "The second you stop respecting this stuff -- it kills you." He is referring to nerve gas. As it turns out your seemingly harmless local mountain bike trail has a lot in common with said nerve gas. On the morning of Memorial Day, I headed back to MEQ for another go at it. I had customized my route to cut out some technical switchbacks and add a mile plus stretch through the back part of Maywood. I wasn't a mile in, when my mind started to wander, "If I make one more hill then I did yesterday, I will improve my time." The next thing I remember was watching my front tire sink into 4inch deep mud and come to a stop on a root. This launched me over the handlebar and flipped me into the air. I landed on my right shoulder and rolled onto my back, looking up at the tree-tops and sky just in time to watch my bike land on me! That part of the trail is right on, or immediately below a natural spring that ensures that it is ALWAYS wet and sloppy. In fact, before the WORS race, they dump a load of crushed limestone on it before the race to try and dry it up. By the time practice laps are over -- it's a mess again. I got up and shook it off. At 41 years old, I live with the knowledge that it now takes a month to heal what would have taken a week ten years ago. Luckily, the fore-mentioned mud made for a soft, injury-free landing. I was a mess; but unharmed. My bike, however, snapped a cable stay (or so i thought). So I'd have to do the rest of the ride without my back breaks. I made it up the rest of the killer hills and did shave a little over a minute off my 7-mile ride. When I got home, I washed my bike and had to hose off all my clothes BEFORE i could throw them in the laundry. Just another day at the office!